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Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Italy approves plans for world's longest suspension bridge
ROME: Italy's government on Wednesday approved a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for the impoverished south of Italy—only for critics to warn that it risks turning into a financial black hole. Italian politicians have for decades debated a bridge over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between the island of Sicily and the region of Calabria, at the toe of Italy's boot. But ministers say Wednesday's approval by a government committee, CIPESS, is the furthest the project has ever got. Advocates say the bridge, due for completion by 2032, is at the cutting edge of engineering, able to withstand high winds and earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates. It has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3 kilometers (2.05 miles) -- a world record—stretching between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. He said the bridge and the associated new roads, railways and stations would act as a 'development accelerator' for impoverished Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled. Yet the project has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a 'mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources' and 'risks turning into a gigantic black hole'. The Italian Court of Auditors has criticized the extent of debt-laden state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. The center-left Democratic Party warned that the project 'tramples environmental, safety and European norms—and common sense'.—AFP The public prosecutor of Messina also recently warned of the risk that organized crime would benefit from the project. Salvini on Wednesday insisted the government would do everything to prevent mafia infiltration. The longest suspended bridge in the world is currently the 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which has a main span of 2.023 kilometers (1.257 miles) between its towers and opened in 2022. Many believe that Italy's ambitious project will never actually materialize, pointing to a long history of public works announced, financed, yet never completed in Italy. The project has had several false starts, with the first plans drawn up more than 50 years ago. Eurolink, a consortium led by Italian group Webuild, won the tender in 2006 only for the government to cancel it after the eurozone debt crisis. The consortium remains the contractor on the revived project. This time, Rome may have an added incentive to press ahead—by classifying the cost of the bridge as defence spending. Italy has agreed along with other NATO allies to massively increase its defense expenditure to five percent of GDP, at the demand of US President Donald Trump. Of this, 1.5 percent can be spent on 'defence-related' areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure—and Rome is hoping the Messina bridge will qualify, particularly as Sicily hosts a NATO base. Currently the only way to cross the Messina Strait is by ferry, taking at least an hour by car and two on the train—where individual carriages are loaded onto the ferry—but the bridge aims to cut journey times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Meloni insisted Wednesday it was a 'demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise' that would 'form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation'. – AFP
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Italy approves $15.6b project for world's longest suspension bridge
It has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3km – a world record – stretching between two 400m high towers. Strait of Messina Bridge, the numbers of the project. Photo / Webuild Strait of Messina bridge. Photo / Webuild Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. He said the bridge and the associated new roads, railways and stations would act as a 'development accelerator' for impoverished Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled. Yet the project has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a 'mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources' and 'risks turning into a gigantic black hole'. The Italian Court of Auditors has criticised the extent of the debt-laden state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. The centre-left Democratic Party warned that the project 'tramples environmental, safety and European norms – and common sense'. The public prosecutor of Messina also recently warned of the risk that organised crime would benefit from the project. Salvini on Wednesday insisted the Government would do everything to prevent mafia infiltration. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition claims the bridge will boost the economy, but critics warn of financial and environmental risks. Photo / Webuild Nato spending The longest suspended bridge in the world is currently the 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which has a main span of 2.023km between its towers and opened in 2022. Many believe that Italy's ambitious project will never actually materialise, pointing to a long history of public works announced, financed, yet never completed in Italy. The project has had several false starts, with the first plans drawn up more than 50 years ago. Eurolink, a consortium led by Italian group Webuild, won the tender in 2006 only for the government to cancel it after the eurozone debt crisis. The consortium remains the contractor on the revived project. This time, Rome may have an added incentive to press ahead – by classifying the cost of the bridge as defence spending. Italy has agreed with other Nato allies to massively increase its defence expenditure to 5% of GDP, at the demand of US President Donald Trump. Of this, 1.5% can be spent on 'defence-related' areas such as cyber security and infrastructure – and Rome is hoping the Messina bridge will qualify, particularly as Sicily hosts a Nato base. Currently, the only way to cross the Messina Strait is by ferry, taking at least an hour by car and two on the train – where individual carriages are loaded on to the ferry – but the bridge aims to cut journey times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Meloni insisted it was a 'demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise' that would 'form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation'. – Agence France-Presse
DW
4 days ago
- Business
- DW
Italy approves controversial bridge tying Sicily to mainland – DW – 08/06/2025
PM Meloni's coalition hailed the project as an economic boost, while critics worry about its impact and cost, which comes in at over €13 billion. If completed, the bridge would be the world's longest. A committee of Italian ministers on Wednesday green lit plans to build a 3.3-kilometer (2.05-mile)-long bridge connecting the island of Sicily across the Strait of Messina to mainland Italy. The controversial project has been in discussions for decades, but the latest plans call for completion of the bridge by 2032. If completed, Strait of Messina Bridge would break Turkey's Canakkale Bridge's record as the longest in the world at 2.02-kilometers long Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for Italy's impoverished south. "It is not an easy task but we consider it an investment in Italy's present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense," Meloni said, according to her office. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome the bridge will be "the biggest infrastructure project in the West," Critics have questioned the wisdom of building a record long bridge in an earthquake zone, while also pointing to its cost, the possible environmental damage it may cause and fears the mafia might infiltrate construction contracts. Earlier this week, environmental associations filed a complaint with the European Union over serious risks from building the bridge to the local environment. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a "mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources" and "risks turning into a gigantic black hole," The center-left Democratic Party warned that the project "tramples environmental, safety and European norms, and common sense." Many believe that the mega project, which has been discussed since the 1960s, will actually never materialize. But ministers have called Wednesday's approval by the government committee the furthest the project has ever got. The €13.5 billion ($15.6 billion) project has been planned for decades, with various hurdles and concerns delaying its completion. The bridge is meant to go over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between Sicily and the region of Calabria. It should boost two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side. Proponents expect it will massively cut travel time from and to Sicily, which are now delayed by ferry rides that involve long waits. Work on the project could begin as early as September or October, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters. He hailed the project, alongside a bundle of other new roads, railways and stations, as a "development accelerator" for impoverished Sicily and Calabria. He even hinted that the project could also help achieve military purposes. "It is obvious that it is dual-use and can therefore be used for security reasons too," he said in a press conference.
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Italy Approves Plans For World's Longest Suspension Bridge
Italy's government on Wednesday approved a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for the impoverished south of Italy -- only for critics to warn that it risks turning into a financial black hole. Italian politicians have for decades debated a bridge over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between the island of Sicily and the region of Calabria, at the toe of Italy's boot. But ministers say Wednesday's approval by a government committee, CIPESS, is the furthest the project has ever got. Advocates say the bridge, due for completion by 2032, is at the cutting edge of engineering, able to withstand high winds and earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates. It has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3 kilometres (2.05 miles) -- a world record -- stretching between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. He said the bridge and the associated new roads, railways and stations would act as a "development accelerator" for impoverished Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled. Yet the project has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a "mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources" and "risks turning into a gigantic black hole". The Italian Court of Auditors has criticised the extent of debt-laden state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. The centre-left Democratic Party warned that the project "tramples environmental, safety and European norms -- and common sense". The public prosecutor of Messina also recently warned of the risk that organised crime would benefit from the project. Salvini on Wednesday insisted the government would do everything to prevent mafia infiltration. The longest suspended bridge in the world is currently the 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which has a main span of 2,023 kilometres (1,257 miles) between its towers and opened in 2022. Many believe that Italy's ambitious project will never actually materialise, pointing to a long history of public works announced, financed, yet never completed in Italy. The project has had several false starts, with the first plans drawn up more than 50 years ago. Eurolink, a consortium led by Italian group Webuild, won the tender in 2006 only for the government to cancel it after the eurozone debt crisis. The consortium remains the contractor on the revived project. This time, Rome may have an added incentive to press ahead -- by classifying the cost of the bridge as defence spending. Italy has agreed along with other NATO allies to massively increase its defence expenditure to five percent of GDP, at the demand of US President Donald Trump. Of this, 1.5 percent can be spent on "defence-related" areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure -- and Rome is hoping the Messina bridge will qualify, particularly as Sicily hosts a NATO base. Currently the only way to cross the Messina Strait is by ferry, taking at least an hour by car and two on the train -- where individual carriages are loaded onto the ferry -- but the bridge aims to cut journey times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Meloni insisted Wednesday it was a "demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise" that would "form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation".
Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Activist boat set to sail from Sicily with aid for Gaza
The ship "Madleen" of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on May 30. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Activist boat set to sail from Sicily with aid for Gaza – A boat organised by an international activist coalition opposed to Israel's blockade of Gaza was departing from Sicily on June 1 to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, an Italian politician told AFP. The boat from Freedom Flotilla Coalition was due to set sail from the port of Catania, carrying around a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, according to Marco Grimaldi, the deputy head of the Greens and Left Alliance, which has supported the mission. 'The ship carries the flag of public opinion, we are trying to make even more noise' about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Mr Grimaldi said. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid with political protest against the blockade on Gaza. The 'Madleen' is a small sailboat carrying 'fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars donated by hundreds of Catania residents,' journalist Andrea Legni reported from aboard. Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan, a Member of the European Parliament, said on May 29 that she would also join the voyage. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine. The crisis began after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel in October 2023, triggering a full-scale war and an Israeli blockade that has severely restricted the flow of aid into Gaza. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on May 31 that at least 4,149 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,418, mostly civilians. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
